Tag: Judiciary - Page 8 - African News Today

Court Orders Final Forfeiture Of Diezani Allison Madueke’s Land In Lekki To FG

26Mar

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Court Orders Final Forfeiture Of Diezani Allison Madueke’s Land In Lekki To FG

Justice Akintayo Aluko of a Federal High Court in Lagos, on Friday, directed the Federal Government to permanently take over a vacant plot of land linked to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke. Justice Aluko’s order of the final forfeiture of the land located at Plot 13, Block I, Oniru Chieftaincy Family Private Estate, Lekki, Lagos, after listening to an application to that effect from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The application was filed by Ansalem B. Ozioko on behalf of the Head of Legal Section of the EFCC and argued by Abbas Mohammed, a Legal Officer in the Commission. It would be recalled that Justice Babs Kuewuni of the same court had on May 15, 2018, granted an interim forfeiture of the said land. In his rul...

INEC Suspends Action On Court Judgment Sacking Umahi, 16 Others

25Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Judiciary, News, Nigeria

INEC Suspends Action On Court Judgment Sacking Umahi, 16 Others

Mahmood Yakubu Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended action on the court judgment sacking the governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi; his deputy, Eric Igwe, and 16 members of the State House of Assembly over their defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). A Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, had in a suit declared vacant the seats of Umahi, his deputy, and those of the lawmakers who defected with them to the APC. The court order followed two suits brought against them by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The judge also ordered INEC to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to PDP’s nominees for the vacant executive positions without delay. Following the judgment, PDP nominated candidates to tak...

Sack: Umahi, Deputy Notify Court of Appeal Against Judgement

22Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Elections, News, Nigeria

Sack: Umahi, Deputy Notify Court of Appeal Against Judgement

Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State yesterday filed an appeal against the Federal High Court’s judgment ordering him and his deputy, Eric Igwe to vacate office as Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State respectively. This is just as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that Umahi and Igwe can no longer exercise the functions of Ebonyi State governor and deputy governor respectively However, Umahi through his lawyer, Chukwuma Machukwu-Ume, accordingly applied to the court to withdraw the application for stay of execution of the judgment pending their appeal at the higher court. Justice Ekwo had in a judgment delivered on March 8, ordered the applicants to vacate the elected offices they occupied owing to their defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)...

Electoral Act: NASS Seeks Legal Advice, May Challenge Court Ruling

20Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Electoral Act: NASS Seeks Legal Advice, May Challenge Court Ruling

The National Assembly is shocked by Friday’s judgment from the Federal High Court, Umuahia, voiding Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act and ordering its deletion forthwith. Consequently, the legislative arm has started assembling a team of legal giants to study the judgment and advise it on the next line of action. No less shocked by the court’s pronouncement are several senior lawyers who, yesterday, questioned the premise on which the judgment was based and the circumstances that birthed it. But that is not the only issue with the act. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday turned in its own assessment of the law, saying that some of its provisions are inimical to the electoral process. The commission said it would seek practice direction on how ...

APC Crisis: Factions Vow Not To Withdraw Cases, Court Vacates Order Stopping Convention

19Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Judiciary, News, Nigeria

APC Crisis: Factions Vow Not To Withdraw Cases, Court Vacates Order Stopping Convention

Factions in some state chapters of the party have said they won’t withdraw their pending cases in court, noting that the President’s directive that suits against the party be withdrawn was only advisory and not by fiat. Some of the court cases however border on the legality of the Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee. This is in spite of the court ruling that vacated an order restraining the party from holding its convention. In Zamfara State, the Publicity Secretary of the faction loyal to Senator Kabiru Mafara, Bello Bakyasuwa, said they had seven pending cases against the party in court. He however maintained that they would not withdraw the cases. Bakyasuwa told Saturday PUNCH in a telephone interview, “We will not withdraw our cases no matter what happens because we are...

Ebonyi: INEC To Take Decision On Gov Umahi’s Fate Next Week

18Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Elections, Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Ebonyi: INEC To Take Decision On Gov Umahi’s Fate Next Week

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would meet next week to deliberate on the Federal High Court’s sack of Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, and come up with an appropriate position on the matter. INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye disclosed this in a late Thursday statement. He said the commission met on Thursday and deliberated on a wide range of issues, including the rising tide of litigations that do not directly involve the Commission, but in which the principal parties joined it. According to him, the Commission was briefed by its Litigation and Prosecution Department, including an update on litigations, showing that in the last three months, the Commission ha...

Man Allegedly Cheats Konga For Eight Years, Steals Goods Worth N22m

17Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Finance, Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Man Allegedly Cheats Konga For Eight Years, Steals Goods Worth N22m

A 39-year-old man, Chijioke Okoro, has been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting at Ikeja, Lagos State, for allegedly stealing N22,046,695 worth of goods from an online store, Konga. Reports say that Okoro tricked the online company between October 2013 and August 2021 in Akilo, in the Ogba area of the state. He was arraigned on two counts bordering on stealing and cheating by tricks. The charges read, “That you, Chijioke Okoro, from October 2013 to August 20, 2021, at No 3b, Cocoa Road, Akilo area of Ogba, Lagos, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did unlawfully steal goods worth N22,046,695, property of Konga Online Shopping Limited. Read Also: Abba Kyari’s Wife Slumps In Court, NDLEA Remands Husband, Six Others “That you, Chijioke Okoro, on the sa...

Court Dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s Request For DSS DG Oral Evidence On Health Status

16Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Court Dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s Request For DSS DG Oral Evidence On Health Status

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed a motion filed by leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for the Director-General of the Department of States Services (DSS) to give oral evidence on his state of health. Nnamdi Kanu Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in ruling, held that fundamental rights cases are special cases “sui generis” which mode of commencement are affidavit evidence as prescribed under Order 2, Rule 2 of the Fundamental Human Right Enforcement Procedure Rules, 2009. Justice Taiwo said that though there were various modes of commencement of action, including fundamental right cases, he said Kanu (applicant) chose to commence his “under the Fundamental Right Enforcement Procedure Rules that stipulates affidavit evidence.” He rul...

Abba Kyari’s Wife Slumps In Court, NDLEA Remands Husband, Six Others

15Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Judiciary, News, Nigeria

Abba Kyari’s Wife Slumps In Court, NDLEA Remands Husband, Six Others

A middle woman, adorning a black hijab and identified as the wife of the embattled DCP Abba Kyari, yesterday, collapsed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeing the super cop and six others taken into custody by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after Justice Emeka Nwite fixed March 28 for determination of the bail application filed by their counsel. The judge decided on the date after taking arguments from both the prosecution and defence lawyers in requests urging the defendants’ release. Counsel to first and second defendants had prayed the court to grant their clients bail on fundamental rights grounds to prepare for defence. But the NDLEA legal representative, Joseph N. Sunday, opposed the motion, arguing that Kyari, who hitherto headed the P...

PDP Ready To Approach Supreme Court To Reclaim Mandate – Wike Warns Umahi

13Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Judiciary, News, Nigeria

PDP Ready To Approach Supreme Court To Reclaim Mandate – Wike Warns Umahi

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on Saturday, said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is ready to reclaim its mandate from Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State. Wike said the PDP was ready to approach the Supreme Court to reclaim its mandate from Umahi. He spoke during the inauguration of the Eastern Bypass Road in Port Harcourt, the state capital. According to Wike, “If our party has done this earlier when people were leaving in the National Assembly, we won’t have had the problem we are having today. “That is one of the problems of party leadership. People cannot come out and take the bull by the horns. So, Governor Umahi, be rest assured that PDP will continue this matter down to Supreme Court. We will continue with the matter. “You carry the votes of another par...